Keeper mechanism for a door fastener



July 3, 1956 E. G. FORSSELL 2,753,205

KEEPER MECHANISM FOR A DOOR FASTENER Filed July 27, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l j 3 3 20 Invenjfar:

y 1956 E. G. FORSSELL KEEPER MECHANISM FOR A DOOR FASTENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 27, 1953 Invenjom E7710 QFbmseYZ l-f KEEPER MECHANISM FOR A DOOR FASTENER Eric G. Forssell, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to W. Iii. Miner, lino, (Ihicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application July 27, 1953, Serial No. 370,492

Claims. (Cl. 292-34115) This invention relates to improvements in keeper mechanism for a door fastener.

One object of the invention is to provide means, in the form of a latch associated with the keeper of a door fastener for blocking the cam opening of the keeper to prevent accidental disengagement of the keeper en gaging cam member of the fastener from said keeper.

A further object of the invention is to provide means, as set forth in the preceding paragraph, particularly designed for use in connection with swinging doors composed of two panels which are hingedly connected to each other for relative swinging movement, and wherein one of the panels serves as actuating lever means for operating the keeper engaging cam member of the fastener means for forcing the other panel to closed position.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide, in combination with a door fastener keeper having a cam pocket adapted to accommodate the keeper engaging cam member of a door fastener, a spring pressed, manually retractable member for blocking the entrance to the pocket and thus prevent accidental disengagement of said keeper engaging cam member 'of thedoor fastener.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is an elevational view, partly broken away, of the side wall of a refrigerator car, provided with a door opening closed by a door structure comprising a plurality of hinged panel members pro vided with door fastener means, illustrating my improvements in connectiontherewith.

Figure 2 is a horizontalgsectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a broken view, similar to Figure 2, showing the parts in different positions.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view, similar to Figure 3, of the keeper and associated parts.

Figure 5 is a front elevational View of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side eleva-tional view of Figure 5, looking from right to left.

Figure 7 is a transverse, vertical sectional View, on a still further enlarged scale, corresponding substantially to the line 7-7 of-Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7, showing the keeper engaging cam member and spring pressed latch in dotted lines, in addition to the full line .position thereof, to illustrate the operation of engaging the cam member with the keeper.

In said drawings, 10 designates the side wall of a railway refrigerator car, provided with a door opening 11, closed by a hinged door structure comprising a single door panel 12 and inner and outer articulated door panels l3 and 14, the door panel 12 being swingingly supported at its right hand or outer end on the Wall of the car by the usual hinge members 15-15 and having a rotary door fastener bar 16 at the left hand or inner end, cooperating with the usual top and bottom keepnited tates Fatcnt ice ers 17 and 18, and the door panel 13 of the articulated panels 13 and 14 being swingingly supported at the left hand or outer end by hinge members 19-19.

The door fastener bar 16 is of the usual well-known design, having keeper engaging crank members 20-20 at its top and bottom ends engageable with top and bottom keepers l7 and 18. The bar 16 is supported for rotation by beating brackets 21, 21, and 22 secured to the door panel 12, and is actuated by the usual handle lever 23, which is swingingly connected to the bar 16. The bottom keeper 18 has an extension 24, which is provided with the usual pivoted latch plate 25, engageab-le over the lower right hand corner of the adjacent door panel 14 to lock the latter in closed position. The articulated panels 13 and 14 are connected by top and bottom hinges 26-26 and an intermediate hinge 27. Each hinge 26 comprises a pair of hinge leaves 28 and 29 fixed, respectively, to the door panels 13 and 14 and connected by the usual hinge pins. The hinge leaves 29 of the top and bottom hinges 26-26 have keeper engag ing cam members Ed-3t) formed integral therewith, the cam member 3 9 of the top hinge extending upwardly therefrom and the cam member 30 of the bottom hinge depending from the same. Each keeper engaging cam member 30 includes a horizontally extending, radial arm 31, having a crank pin 32 at its outer end, the crank pins 32-32 of the top and bottom hinges 26-26 being engageable with fixed keepers for actuating the door panel '13 to force the same open or closed. The top keeper, which is indicated by 33, is provided with a cam pocket 34 within which the crank pin 32 of the top keeper engaging cam member 30 operates in forcing the panel .13 open and closed.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a bottom keeper A, with which the crank pin 32 of the keeper engaging cam member 30 on the leaf 2% of the bottom hinge 26 cooperates, and a spring pressed member B for blocking the mouth of the cam pocket of the keeper A.

The articulated door panels 13 and 14 and the keeper engaging cam members 30-30 thereof are of a design similar to the articulated door panels and cam members illustrated in my co-pending application, Serial No. 322,881, filed November 28, 1952, and operate in a simi lar manner, the panel 14 serving as a lever for rotating the cam members 30-30 while engaged with the cooperating keepers to force the panel 13 open or closed, as desired. The articulated arrangement of the door panels 13 and 14 further allows the door panel 14 to be swung open, when desired, without the panel 13 being opened. This may be done by swinging the door panel 14 through approximately degrees, Without disen gaging the cam members 32-30 from the cooperating keepers. My improved keeper and keeper entrance blocking member is provided to prevent accidental disengagement of the keeper engaging cam members 30-30 from the keepers during this operation, as .Well as after the door panel 14 has been swung fully open.

The keeper A is in the form of a block having laterally extending securing ears 35-35 by which it is fixed to the wall 10 of the car at the bottom of the door opening 11, the same being secured by fastening elements 36-36 ex tending through openings 37-67 in said ears. The keeper A has a cam pocket similar to the pocket 34 of the top keeper 33, which pocket is also indicated by 3 The pocket 34' of the keeper A is defined by a concavely curved back wall 38 merging with curved side walls 39 and 40 and oflset front walls 41 and 42, the walls 41 and 42 being formed by inturned flanges which project toward each other and have their opposed inner ends spaced apart to provide an opening or mouth 43 through which the crank pin 32 of the bottom keeper engaging cam member 30 is adapted to pass in lateral direction. The pocket 34 of the keeper A is closed by a horizontal bottom wall 44, as shown most clearly in Figures 5, 7, and 8.

The member B is slidably mounted for vertical movement in a bracket 45 depending from the underneath side of the keeper A. The bracket 45 comprises spaced side arms 46-4 and a back arm 47 connected at their bottom ends by a transverse section in the form of a shelf 48 and fixed at their upper ends to the keeper A. The member 3 is in the form of a pin comprising a cylindrical shank portion 49 and an enlarged head 50 at its upper end of substantially rectangular, transverse cross section. The shank portion 49 of the member B extends through and is slidingly guided for vertical movement in a circular guide opening 51 provided in the shelf 48 of the bracket 45. The enlarged head portion 50 of the member B extends through and is guided in a rectangular guide opening 52 provided in the bottom wall 44 of the keeper A.

The member B is pressed upwardly by a coil spring 53 surrounding the shank portion 49 of the member and having its bottom end supported on the shelf 48 of the bracket 45. A washer 54 is interposed between the upper end of the spring 53 and the lower end of the enlarged portion 50 of the member B. As will be evident, the spring 53 yieldingly holds the member B in its raised position, as shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, with the washer 54 abutting the bottom side of the wall 44 of the keeper A. To provide for manual manipulation thereof, the member B has a detachable finger piece 55 at its lower end, comprising a central hub portion 56 and arms 5757 laterally extending therefrom. The hub portion 55 of the finger piece 55 is fixed to the lower end of the shank 49 of the member B by a pin 58. As shown most clearly in Figures 6, 7, and 8, the head 50 is beveled off at the upper end on its outer side, as indicated at 59 to cooperate with the bottom crank pin 32 and be depressed thereby as the crank pin is moved into the pocket of the bottom keeper A. As shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, the member B is so located that it blocks the mouth 43 of the pocket of the keeper and is spaced such a dis-' tance forwardly from the back wall 38 of the pocket that it allows movement, without interference of the crank pin to swing through an arc of 180 degrees while being confined within the keeper A, that is, swings from the position shown in Figure 2, through an arc of 180 degrees in right hand direction and back again to the position shown in Figure 2. As will be evident, the member B thus eliectively blocks the opening or mouth 43 of the pocket 35 of the keeper A to prevent disengagement of the crank pin 32 of the cam member 30 from the keeper A while the door panel. 14 is being swung open through an arc of 180 degrees, and when the door is in the open position, it being necessary to manually depress the member B clear of the mouth 43 to permit the crank pin 32 to pass out of the pocket 34 of the keeper A.

When both door panels 13 and 14 are to be opened, the panel 14 is first swung outwardly through an arc of 90 degrees, moving the crank pin 32 from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figures 3 and 4. The member B is then manually depressed to clear the mouth of the keeper A and the panel 14 is pulled outwardly to effect complete disengagement of the crank pins 3232 of the cam members 30-30 from the keepers 33 and A, the lower crank pin 32 passing out of the pocket of the keeper A through the opening or mouth 43, whereupon the door panel 13 may be swung to fully open position.

To close the door panels 13 and 1 5, the same are first swung outwardly away from the car wall and the panel. 13 is then swung inwardly toward the door opening until it is almost, but not quite, in closed position, with the panel 14 extending in a direction substantially at right angles to the car wall 10. crank pin 32 of the panel 14 is at the mouth of the pocket 34 of the keeper A. The crank pin 32 of the lower cam In this latter position, the

member 30 is then forced into the pocket 34 through the mouth 43 thereof, camming over and depressing the member B, by moving the panel 14 inwardly toward the wall of the car while still in position at right angles to the car wall, positioning the crank pin 32, as shown in Figure 3. After the parts have reached this last named position, the panel 14 is swung inwardly on the panel 13, thus engaging the crank pin with the wall 41 of the keeper A, as shown in Figure 2, and camming the panel 13 tightly closed and holding it in that position. After the panel 14 has been thus swung to fully closed position, the latch plate 25 is engaged over the lower right hand corner of said door panel to lock the same in closed position, as shown in Figure 1.

I claim:

1. A keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin member actuated by one of the panel members of a two panel, articulated hinged door, said keeper having an oval cam pocket provided with an entrance opening, said keeper having a bottom wall closing the bottom of said pocket and the bottom of said entrance opening thereof, said wall having a vertical guide opening therethrough communicating with said entrance opening, a guide bracket depending from said keeper, said bracket having a horizontal abutment at the lower end thereof provided with a guide opening, a member having a head at the upper end guided in said first named guide opening, and a depending shank guided in said second named guide opening, a washer bearing on the inner end of said head, and a coil spring surrounding said shank and bearing at opposite ends on said horizontal abutment and said washer, respectively.

2. A keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin that is fixed upon and actuated by one of the panel members of a two panel, articulated hinged door, said keeper having an oval-shaped cam pocket provided with a mouth for the passage of the crank pin, which mouth is centered upon the transverse axis of said pocket, said crank pin being registrable with said mouth when said one panel member is at substantially right angles to the other panel member, and a spring pressed member blocking said mouth, said member being retractable to clear ,the mouth, thereby to permit entry of said pin into said pocket and when in blocking position said member retaining said pin in the pocket during movement of said one panel through 180 between its fully open and closed positions.

3. A keeper as specified in claim 2 in which said crank pin engages the walls of the socket to earn said other panel into fully closed position as said first panel is moved in either direction through from said right angle position.

4. A keeper as specified in claim 2 in which the pocket is closed by a bottom wall that contains an opening through which the spring pressed member extends.

5. A keeper as specified in claim 2 in which the pocket is closed by a bottom wall through an opening in which the spring pressed member projects and the bottom wall carries a bracket depending therebelow through an opening in which a shank on the member projects and in which a handle fixed upon said shank below said bracket enables said member to be manually retracted from blocking position to permit withdrawal of the pin from the pocket, thereby to permit moving both of said panels from closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

